Tackling corruption

The POST reported yesterday (24/02/09) that the MMD deputy national secretary instructed a permanent secretary to expedite payment to named suppliers who had made contributions to the party. This has been followed with a hard hitting editorial in today's edition. A few paragraphs are reproduced below..

What we are seeing in the conduct of Jeff Kaande, the MMD deputy national secretary, should be and is a source of great concern. It is clear that the MMD is surviving on the basis of a corrupt system of bribe taking and protection money collection. It is very unfortunate that a party functionary in a multiparty democracy has the audacity to put on paper what people would fear to think. He is directing through the name of the party, a permanent secretary to facilitate payments to suppliers because they have promised to give money to the party. How can this be correct? How can this be the way to run a country? What are we reducing ourselves to? It is clear that unless something is done, unless we all heighten our vigilance, Zambia is fast becoming a confirmed kleptocracy.

We have always said that corruption and abuse of power is a deadly cancer, a tax on the poor people in our country. What the MMD is doing is an important illustration of what we have always said. The MMD cannot do without corruption.

Let us ask ourselves a question: if in order to get money from government for supplies made, the owner of the business first has to belong to or pretend to be MMD; second, he has to pay something to this party or its key leadership, how is this country going to develop? How is business going to be conducted? It means that to make a profit, the business people have to factor in the cost of corruption. And this cost has to be borne by the poor people of our country who are denied those resources. The business of governing and providing service to our people is not an easy one. It is very demanding and very taxing. The people who have accepted this responsibility need to apply themselves 100 per cent or else nothing will be achieved. How are we going to build roads, bridges, schools and hospitals if all that the party in government thinks about is how to raise money for itself and for this or that through corruption? It is clear that unless we deal with the problem of corruption and uproot its basis, development will be slow in coming to our country. From what we have seen just in the first 120 days of Rupiah Banda’s government, it is difficult to see where they are going to find time to govern and bring development to our people when all they seem to be doing is scheming how to make money for themselves, how to steal.

FTJ once said Zambians are docile. I think this is probably one of the few truthful statements he made. Which other civilized country would accept the sort of plunder of national resources and rampant corruption we are witnessing? Every year the Auditor General releases a report which catalogues corruption, lack of accountability and blatant theft of public funds but nobody gets punished. How do we stop this drain on our meagre resources?

The PANEL